The Enlightened Screen: Hugh Gibson, THE STAIRS

The Canadian Film Institute’s ongoing guest artist series featuring Canada’s best contemporary filmmakers kicks off its 2017-2018 season with Hugh Gibson, an award-winning Toronto director, writer, and producer.

“Hugh Gibson’s compassionate and profoundly affecting The Stairs takes us inside Toronto’s Regent Park Community Health Centre, whose staff of social workers includes both former and current drug users. These workers understand all too well what their clients are going through. Shot over five years, Gibson’s film focuses on three staff members: the loquacious, seemingly tireless Marty, who was so addicted at one point that, after being shot in a deal that went south, he stopped for a hit before going to the hospital; Roxanne, a former sex worker whose tales of life in the trade are beyond harrowing; and Greg, a biracial child of the 1960s consumed with a long-delayed legal case hinging on a police officer’s use of excessive force. As it draws us closer to Gibson’s subjects, The Stairs challenges prejudices and preconceived notions. It also underlines how tentative sobriety and stability can be for people who have lived in addiction for years. … As the film progresses, Gibson subtly builds a wide-ranging portrait of the conditions that can nurture addiction, most notably poverty and homelessness. In its nuance, social conscience, and moving affection for its subjects, The Stairs is a worthy continuation of the tradition set by the NFB’s legendary Unit B.” Steve Gravestock (Toronto International Film Festival)

Hugh Gibson will attend the screening to introduce and discuss his film, and will be joined by a number of representatives of local community groups dealing with issues of poverty, homelessness, and addiction.

Admission is $9.00 for CFI Members and Seniors, $13.00 for the general public. For unwaged persons, admission is pay-what-you-can.